By Jessie Mangaliman and Mark Gomez(Full text at Mercury News.com)
Mercury News
In the time it takes to pay for a bag of groceries or a tank of gas, thieves can empty your bank account. It happens when you swipe your debit card.
That's the hard lesson customers of a Silicon Valley gas station and grocery store have learned in recent weeks following two major cases of identity theft using stolen personal information from debit cards.
As the number of victims topped 200 Friday, and police warned to expect more, experts say the thefts underscore that even a tech-savvy region is hardly immune from a problem that is becoming all too common across the country.....
....It's unclear how, but police said the thieves may have swapped a debit-card-reading machine at one or more of the store's checkout stands, or installed small, easily hidden skimming devices that collect a shopper's card number and personal identification codes. The thieves then typically use the information to make new debit cards, often out of gift cards, old credit cards or any card with a magnetic strip...
...Lunardi's customers first began reporting the thefts Sunday. Cash withdrawals were reportedly made from ATMs in Southern California. Los Gatos police detective Dave Gravel said police are still trying to determine how much money was stolen.
My guess is very few of the over 200 victims had Identity Theft protection services because most people think "it can't happen to me" which is due to blissfull ignorance, a term coined by a Doctor at the University of Iowa. The less people know or understand about a problem, the less they fear it.
Estimates are that every 2-4 seconds an Identity is compromised. Why take chances? Why not protect yourself and your loved ones with the best suite of services provided by the best NYSE companies in the field? Educate yourself and visit the shameless plug below or call me at (909) 208-3728!
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